Serving Champaign, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Ford, Jasper, Moultrie, Piatt & Vermilion counties.
Legal Assistance
Included in this list are organizations that provide free or low-cost legal services to victims of abuse and others who qualify. Even if the organization does not have a lawyer available to represent you in court, you may want to ask if there is a lawyer who you can consult with to get advice. Please note that we list the organizations by the town/city or county where the office is located – however, many offices may likely serve multiple counties. We indicate the “counties served” whenever possible. You can click “View All” to look through the complete list of organizations.
Champaign
Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance - Champaign Office
Cook
Ascend Justice - Emergency Services
Ascend Justice provides financial, housing, family, domestic violence, and immigration legal services to survivors of gender-based violence. Ascend Justice also provides family defense legal services for families who have DCFS investigations or appeals.
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) offers civil legal aid for the poor and working poor in Chicago on family law matters like divorce, adoption, guardianship, and child support. CVLS also offers representation on other civil matters, like eviction, foreclosure, and more issues affecting Chicago residents. To see what kinds of cases they take and how to apply for help, please visit the CVLS website.
Legal Aid Chicago
Legal Aid Chicago provides free civil legal representation to residents of Chicago and Suburban Cook County and statewide representation for migrants and victims of human trafficking. Their representation is limited to those who have limited income or special legal needs in specific areas, including domestic violence and elder abuse, custody and divorce, DCFS investigations, and special education and school discipline. You can also reach their client intake by phone with options in English and Spanish and interpreters for all other languages, or through their online application at Illinois Legal Aid Online.
Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services
Metropolitan Family Services has a main office in Chicago and seven community centers in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs,. Their staff includes clinical social workers and counselors, case managers, mental health professionals, early childhood educators, and lawyers who provide counsel and services. The Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services helps low-income clients with a wide range of legal issues from cases of domestic violence, family and elder law, and housing and consumer issues. To reach the Legal Aid Society, please call 312-986-4200. You can find their full list of community centers on their website.
Life Span - Des Plaines office
Life Span provides free legal services in Chicago and Suburban Cook County for issues related to domestic violence and sexual assault, including direct legal representation, in English, Spanish, Polish, and Arabic. They provide legal services and counseling in domestic violence and sexual assault situations, including orders of protection, divorces, custody cases, and immigration cases.
Life Span Center for Legal Services and Advocacy
Life Span provides free legal services in Chicago and Suburban Cook County for issues related to domestic violence and sexual assault, including direct legal representation, in English, Spanish, Polish, and Arabic. They provide legal services and counseling in domestic violence and sexual assault situations, including orders of protection, divorces, custody cases, and immigration cases.
Mil Mujeres
Mil Mujeres offers immigration legal services to low-income individuals in the Latino community. They specialize on immigration benefits for survivors of violent crimes in the United States. However, they also provide services to other survivors.
YWCA Evanston/North Shore Legal Advocacy
YWCA Evanston/ North Shore provides services to victims and survivors of domestic violence with a legal advocacy program at the District Two Courthouse in Skokie, as well as other supportive services including a 24-hour crisis line. The legal advocacy program helps with orders of protections and safety planning.